The government has decreed that executions will be carried out by lethal injection instead of firing squads from November 1.

A bed specially designed for execution by lethal injection in the US
Photo: Dan Tri

The switch was included in the Law on Execution of Criminal Verdicts passed by the National Assembly last year.

It was expected to be made from July 1, the effective day of the law, but the Ministry of Public Security sought a delay since facilities needed to be set up and executioners needed to be trained.

The injection will contain three substances -- sodium thiopental, an anesthetic; pancuronium bromide, a muscle relaxant; and potassium chloride to stop the heart.

Le Thi Thu Ba, chairwoman of the National Assembly’s Justice Committee, said the new system is widely used in the world, more humane, will cause less pain to the convicted and their family, and relieve pressure on executors.

It also helps keep the body of the executed prisoners intact, she added.